Germany’s efforts to rebuild its military reserve are being obstructed by stringent data protection laws, according to Patrick Sensburg, head of the Reservist Association of the German Armed Forces. Despite having records of nearly 10 million people who completed military service, the organization has no legal means to contact about 1 million of them, many of whom are considered high-potential reservists.

“We have lost their contacts,” Sensburg said. “It’s crazy.” He blamed the problem on Germany’s deeply ingrained privacy culture shaped by historical surveillance trauma from both the Nazi era and East Germany’s communist regime.

With the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz committing to greater NATO engagement and defense spending, the main obstacle is no longer money but manpower. Carsten Breuer, chief of the armed forces, has emphasized the need to raise troop levels from 180,000 to 200,000 by 2030 and quadruple the current reserve from 60,000 to 260,000.

However, Germany ended conscription in 2011 and did not keep up-to-date records of former conscripts, creating a vast disconnect with potential recruits.

Data Privacy vs. National Security

Sensburg highlighted the absurdity of the situation, noting that Germany’s TV license authority can trace people shortly after a move, yet the military cannot reach former soldiers even listed in their own databases. The defence ministry acknowledged the issue, stating it is seeking to reconcile privacy regulations with military recruitment needs. Since 2021, departing soldiers are automatically registered as reservists, but gaps remain for millions of earlier service members.

To address the shortfall, Berlin is preparing a voluntary military service model that will initially train only 5,000 young men per year. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said boosting reserve numbers would also require “reactivating” ex-soldiers, especially the 93,000 veterans of the Afghanistan mission, a group described as “high potential.”

Sensburg argued that even if only 25% of the 1 million unreachable individuals reenlisted, it would be enough to meet Germany’s ambitious targets.